Standard footprints
| Pallet | Length | Width | Common in | ISO 6780 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EUR / EPAL 1 ("Euro pallet") | 1200 mm|47.2″ | 800 mm|31.5″ | Europe | Yes |
| ISO 1200 × 1000 | 1200 mm|47.2″ | 1000 mm|39.4″ | Europe, Asia | Yes |
| North American (48 × 40 in) | 1219 mm|48.0″ | 1016 mm|40.0″ | North America | Yes |
| ISO 1067 × 1067 (42 × 42 in) | 1067 mm|42.0″ | 1067 mm|42.0″ | North America, Asia | Yes |
| Asian standard (1100 × 1100) | 1100 mm|43.3″ | 1100 mm|43.3″ | Asia | Yes |
| ISO 1140 × 1140 | 1140 mm|44.9″ | 1140 mm|44.9″ | International | Yes |
| Australian standard | 1165 mm|45.9″ | 1165 mm|45.9″ | Australia | No |
EUR / EPAL 1 ("Euro pallet")
The most common pallet in Europe. Two fit side by side across a pallet-wide container but not across a standard one, which is the whole reason pallet-wide boxes exist.
ISO 1200 × 1000
Sometimes called the industrial or UK pallet. A better fit than the Euro pallet for a standard 40-foot container.
North American (48 × 40 in)
The GMA pallet, quoted in inches: 48 × 40. Dominant in the United States and Canada.
ISO 1067 × 1067 (42 × 42 in)
Square, and the least seen of the six. It turns up in North American drum and chemical shipping, where a square deck loads evenly from any side.
Asian standard (1100 × 1100)
Square and common in Japan and much of East Asia.
ISO 1140 × 1140
Square footprint used in some international trades, notably parts of the chemical industry.
Australian standard
Square, and sized for Australian rail rather than for containers — it stows poorly in an ISO box. Not one of the ISO 6780 footprints, despite how often it is listed as one.
Questions
- How many Euro pallets fit in a 40-foot container?
- Around 25 on the floor in a standard 40-foot box, depending on loading pattern and whether the pallets can be turned. The internal width of 2.352 m will not take two 1.2 m lengths side by side, which is why pallet-wide containers exist.
- Why does a pallet-wide container matter?
- Its extra internal width takes two Euro pallets abreast without wasted space. In a standard container that same pair leaves a gap too narrow to use and too wide to ignore.
- Is there a single international pallet standard?
- No. ISO 6780:2003 specifies six footprints rather than choosing one, because regional standards were already entrenched: three rectangular (1200 x 800, 1200 x 1000, 1219 x 1016 mm) and three square (1067 x 1067, 1100 x 1100, 1140 x 1140 mm). The Australian 1165 x 1165 mm pallet is widely used but is not among them. Which one you meet depends on where the cargo starts.
Provided for convenience and general information only.Figures, definitions and descriptions on these pages are compiled from publicly available sources — published industry standards, official code registers and carriers' own published specifications — and are nominal: actual equipment, regulations and commercial terms vary by manufacturer, carrier, jurisdiction and contract, and change over time. FrateZone is not the issuing authority for any of it, does not warrant that any figure here is correct, current or complete, and makes no representation that a source has not changed since it was read. Where a specification belongs to a specific physical unit or a specific contract — a container's certified plate, an airline's tariff, the wording of your own sale agreement — that document governs, not this page. FrateZone accepts no liability for any error or omission here, nor for any operational, commercial, financial or legal decision taken in reliance on it. Verify against the authoritative source before you act.